Watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals, live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Friday May 31 (2am)
Wednesday 22 May 2019 12:15, UK
The Golden State Warriors have earned nine days of rest and recuperation ahead of their fifth successive NBA Finals appearance.
Pausing to reflect on their historic fifth consecutive Finals appearance should be an easy task for the Warriors.
After Golden State put away the Portland Trail Blazers in a 4-0 sweep of the Western Conference finals on Monday, Golden State kicked off an extended idle hour.
With the Eastern Conference finals scheduled through May 27, Game 1 of the NBA Finals is May 30 at either Milwaukee or Toronto. The Bucks lost to the Raptors on Tuesday and head back to Milwaukee with the series tied 2-2.
"Get outside," Warriors All-Star Klay Thompson said of his plans for the nine-day hiatus. "Hopefully it's good weather in the Bay finally. Just enjoy - just enjoy the downtime, because the NBA Finals, having experience with it, it's such an emotional roller coaster, that it's nice to get away from the game a little bit before it starts because emotions run high, and it takes a lot out of you."
Timing couldn't be more clutch for Steve Kerr's team, a pause in the chase for a fourth Larry O'Brien Trophy in five tries.
The Warriors' next game will be No 99 since beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the regular-season opener on October 16.
Playing without two starters, the Warriors are optimistic the 'R-and-R' window will be plentiful enough for rest, relaxation and returns - of forward Kevin Durant and center DeMarcus Cousins.
Durant missed the past five games with a calf strain and could resume on-court activities at the end of the week. Cousins hasn't played since the opening series of the playoffs because of a quadriceps injury.
Andre Iguodala did not play in Game 4, but is pegged to be back on the court any day and a "sure thing" for the Finals.
"You know, when you're missing Kevin Durant, you can't replace Kevin with one guy. We had to replace him with three or four, night after night, and then [on Monday night in Game 4] without Andre, we had to find more minutes," Kerr said.
"I just can't say enough about the competitive desire about the group of players that we have here and the culture that they have built together. You know, playing together regardless of injury. Being without Kevin these last five games has put us in a really tough spot, and our guys stepped up in a big way."
Curry roasted the Blazers on the heels of an MVP-calibre performance in the closeout game to eliminate the Houston Rockets. He has scored 30-plus points in five consecutive games, a run that piggybacks similar output by Durant for the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Curry called Monday night a "special moment" to walk off the court with another ticket to the Finals.
"There's a different intensity in the playoffs just naturally because it's win-or-go-home. We know how to find that next gear, and it comes with the experiences that we've been through," Curry said.
"It's so hard over 82 games to elevate to that level on a nightly basis, but when it matters most, we have nights like tonight where we just find a way and take teams' best shots and run with it. So proud of everybody that helped make this a reality to be back in the Finals, and four more wins, and you know, get back to celebrating."
Kerr hopes the team and outsiders equally appreciate the current run from Golden State. The Warriors are the first team since Bill Russell captained the Boston Celtics to crash the championship series five consecutive years.
"I hope it doesn't go unnoticed or underrated," Kerr said. "You know, five straight Finals hasn't been done since the 60s, since Bill Russell's Celtics. Hasn't been done for a reason: It's really, really difficult."
Draymond Green said he will skip the retrospective angle for now and focus on getting another ring. He implored the Warriors to be ready to toggle out of their celebratory status and back to championship focus.
"We know we still have more work to do. The goal is never to get to the Finals; the goal is to go win the Finals," Green said. "With these nine days off, we definitely want to get our guys back healthy. We want to get DeMarcus and Kevin Andre, need those guys, going into the Finals and that's our hope that we can get all of those guys back moving forward.
"Saying that, we've had guys step up all along this entire time and we're going to look forward to those guys continuing to step up, no matter what happens with the injuries that we have. You know, we're trying to go win this thing.
"Never the goal is just to get there. I've been to a Finals and lost; it's no fun, so trying to get it done."
Watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals, live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Friday May 31 (2am).
